


Be Kind- Rewind

by unladenswallow



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Spoilers, BAMF Peter Parker, Canon Divergence - Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Comic Book Science, Female Peter Parker, Fuck you Endgame, Genderswap, Lonely Peter Parker, Not Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Compliant, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Time Travel Fix-It
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-05
Updated: 2019-03-15
Packaged: 2019-10-22 19:24:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,953
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17668625
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unladenswallow/pseuds/unladenswallow
Summary: With no possibility of defeating Thanos, Dr Strange sends Spiderman back into the past before Tony Stark became Ironman with three tasks.1) Become the first modern superhero and pave the way for others after him.2) Save Tony Stark3) Defeat ThanosSure, that should be easy right?





	1. 2018

Yeah, I should definitely not be starting this monster of a story before I finish the other monster of a story I started, but this story bug won't let me go. I plan on switching between this and my Witcher story in updates, definitely not abandoning either. Still currently deciding on the romance pairing. I've got a strong idea of what I think would be best, but let me know if you have any preferences.

Let me know if you guys like the idea of the story and where it's heading if so I'll keep writing.

* * *

Be Kind - Rewind

 

“What do you mean ‘none’?”

Dr Stephen Strange looked wearily up at Tony Stark and the rest of the misfits assembled before him, looking at him with expressions ranging from panic to confusion.

“I mean exactly what I just said, none. Of some 14 million futures I have looked at, there is not a single one in which we beat Thanos. This future, this outcome was set in stone a long time ago, nothing we do will stop it.”

“Bullshit, that’s bullshit,” the Starlord guy growled through gritted teeth, “if you want to give up and run, you do that but I am going to kill that purple dick.”

He spun on his heel and walked away angrily, the other two aliens hesitating for a second before following after the angry figure.

“What about the past?” Stark asked keeping his eyes on the retreating figures for a moment before turning back to Strange, “you said that this future was determined a long time ago, so how do we ‘undetermine’ that? How far back do we need to go?”

“Almost ten years, back to when you returned from Afghanistan,” the sorcerer drawled watching frustration cause Stark’s face to tighten.

“Of course, it’s my fault. It always seems to be my fault.” He responded, anger and frustration thick in his voice.

“No,” Strange interrupted, no having time for Stark’s little pity party. Stark had given him an idea and he aimed to achieve it, but time was running out, “it’s Obadiah Stane’s fault. His betrayal and attempt to murder you caused you to distrust others but seek their approval to your own detriment. Your genius became stunted due to their feelings of inferiority, and the world became dependent on you for protection instead of seeking to help you with it.”

“Then send me back, send me back and I can fix this,” Stark swore vehemently, but the sorcerer shook his head as the other man spoke.

“Impossible. Both you and I have altered the universe far too deeply in the past 10 years, we are some of the lynchpins that hold it up. If I were to send either of us back that far this universe would collapse, possibly bringing other universes down with us. Neither of us can go back”

“But I can right?” queried a voice behind Stark. The young teenage walked around his mentor closer to Strange, “I’ve only been doing this for about a year, and I only look out for the little guy. So I can’t be a lynchpin right?”

“Forget it, no way.” Stark immediately replied but was interrupted by Strange holding up a hand for Stark to let him speak.

“As much as I would prefer to say otherwise, you are correct. And you are probably the only one who could survive the trip,” Stark tried to interrupt but Strange kept talking loudly over him, “what you have to understand though, is that if I send you back it is a one-way trip. For the time stream to accept you that far back, it will absorb you, and in all likelihood change you, to minimise the disruption your presence makes.”

“Change? What do...” the kid began to ask before he was interrupted by Stark his voice rising with each word.

“Forget it, it’s not happening. There is no way that I’ll allow you do to that!”

“But Mr Stark!”

“Don’t you get it, kid, if you do this you’ll lose May, you’ll lose Ned, you’ll lose everyone!”

Peter hunched over as if someone had punched him in the stomach, utter devastation written across his face. Stark sighed heavily and began trying to take the sting out of his words.

“Look, Peter, I’m sorry, but you have to understand...”

“If I don’t do it I’ll probably just lose them anyway. And it won’t just be me, but half the universe will lose people they love as well.” Peter muttered defiantly looking down to avoid meeting Stark’s gaze

“He’s right Stark, he is the only one here that can do this,” Strange said breaking the silence and getting to his feet, “we don’t have much time left. Thanos will be here soon, so if we are going to do this we need to do this now.”

“Wait, just wait,” Stark sighed, “let me get Friday to upload a few things to Karen first. You are going to need help for when you get back, I can at least help with a few things.”  
The nanobots ran together across his face to form the Ironman visor, allowing Stark to communicate directly with his AI.

Taking the opportunity, Peter turned to the Sorcerer Supreme to finish asking the question he had before.

“What do you mean that I’ll probably be changed?”

“In 2010, Peter Parker already exists, but Spiderman doesn’t. As such, the time stream will accept Spiderman but will have to change Peter Parker to allow you to exist. This could mean you will change age, race, gender, nationality, parentage. The possibilities are numerous. But Peter Parker, as you are now, will cease to exist and you will become someone else.”

“How do you know that will happen?”

“Because that is what happened to my mentor,” Strange replied with a slight smirk on his face, “originally he born as a male in the Himalayas. In his older years, before he became the Sorcerer Supreme, a fight occurred that devastated Kamar-Taj that caused him to go back in time to prevent it. Only when he emerged from the time stream, he had turned into a young Celtic woman which she remained for the rest of her life.”

Eyes wide, mouth agape, Peter tried to respond but found himself speechless. Before he could find anything to say the sound of gunfire and angry yelling broke out nearby,

“Thanos is here,” Strange hissed, “Stark! We need to do this, now!”

“Ok, upload is complete,” Stark said before pulling Peter in a short but crushing hug, “I was an arsehole back then kid, but you find me and show me the video I’ve uploaded. Find me so you’re not alone ok?”

A loud explosion nearby shook the ground, Thanos was getting closer.

“I’ll buy us some time,” Stark yelled before flying towards the sounds of fighting.

Strange took off the Time stone and began rotating his hands around it, green lines appearing in thin air which pointed towards Peter.

“I’m going to send you back before Stark was taken, but don’t interact with him until he is rescued from Afghanistan,” he yelled over the noise “you need to become the first superhero and pave the way for others to come after you. Don’t make the same mistakes as the Avengers!”

Before Peter could even reply, everything went green.

 


	2. 2008

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First of all, I just want to give a big shout out to flamewitch101 and Dekuissenpai for pointing out that I had accidentally uploaded the story as a one-shot. Totally didn't mean to do that, rest assured there are many other chapters coming. Thanks to everyone else for your kudos and comments, they are always lovely to see and help motivate me to write the next chapter. So, without further ado, onto the chapter.

 

Strange had not been kidding about the changes that might occur to Peter by time travelling. Staring into a mirror, where a naked teenage boy should have been reflecting back instead was a naked young woman, 24 years old to be precise. But, instead of panicking or feeling wrong, it came as no surprise, instead feeling comfortable and familiar. There was no cognitive dissonance to the major change time had wrought. And it wasn't just Peter that had been changed, the Spidey-suit had changed as well.

 And the memories! There were now two sets of memories Peter racing through her mind. One of a teenage boy from Queens, sent back in time to save the world. The other of an MIT graduate trying to get into the field but struggling since she was a woman in a male-dominated field and was continuously sexually objectified because only women desperate for men become engineers. But fuck them, she wasn't going to let anyone hold her back!

Eyes widened in surprise at the vehemence of her thoughts, Peter shook her head to clear it. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and brought to the forefront of her mind what these new memories told her about who she now was. For the past month, she had been doing this to help her memorise and understand her new reality.

Her name was Peta May Fitzpatrick, daughter of Sophie and Richard Fitzpatrick. Her mother died in childbirth, but her father raised her with such love and support that she didn't feel herself lacking in her childhood. As a mechanic, he inspired her love of engineering and encouraged her to attend MIT. He lived long enough to see her graduate before passing away due to prostate cancer that had been discovered too late.

For the past year, she had been struggling to get a job in her chosen degree field because apparently having breasts compromised her ability to think. Repeatedly she had been passed over for positions, watching as men with lesser knowledge and experience were selected. She seemed to be impressive on paper, but as soon as they realised that there was a reason her name ended with an A, not an ER, a reason was found to say no. It was during one of these occasions when she was doing a potential graduate tour around Oscorp Industries that the other graduates played a little joke on her that ended up with her in a restricted area getting bitten by a radioactive spider.

For the past couple of months she had been thoroughly testing her physiological limits to see just what the change had done to her while contemplating what, if anything, she should do about it.

Opening her eyes Peta took a deep breath and slipped a nightdress on before picking up the Spidey-suit mask.

"Karen, can you play the video Mr Stark made?"

Even though she had already watched it many times before, being able to hear Mr Stark's voice and see him again made her feel a little less alone. Because that is what she was now. Alone.

 

_"All right kid, we don't have a lot of time so listen up. Don't interfere with me going to Afghanistan. I know you, and I know that you will want to stop it but don't. It needs to happen. When I get back from there I'll be in a really bad place, and will be completely different to who I am today. I will test your patience and push you away, but if you are persistent, I might possibly come around. Maybe. Hopefully._

_Anyway, here's the most important thing you need to know to gain my trust. Never lie to me. Because I will know or I'll eventually find out. Once you do that, I will hold you at a distance and be suspicious of your every action. No matter how bad you think it is, don't lie to me._

_Now, you are going to need to get my attention once I get back. The best way to do this is by inventing badassium. You release that information and I'll guarantee that I'll be on your doorstep the next day, but so will a lot of other people so be careful. Friday will have upload the information you need to Karen, plus some information on some bank accounts you can get access to if you need it. “_

A loud explosion was heard off-screen.

_"All right, time for me to go.  Bye Peter… I'm really proud of you kid."_

"Thanks Karen," she whispered and then took the mask off. She held it in her hands and stared down at it, her brow creased in consternation.

It was currently 31st of December, 2008, and tomorrow would be the start of 2009. That meant in approximately just over a month, on the 13th of February, Tony Stark was going to go to a weapon's demonstration in Afghanistan and would be kidnapped. But before then, tomorrow to be exact, Spiderwoman would make her first public appearance. But this time she was going to make a different approach, having learnt from the negative reception she'd received the last time she'd appeared.

This time she would make it clear that she wasn't a dangerous vigilante, but a law-abiding protector. She would make a clear path for those who followed after her.

****

Peta took a deep breath and looked over the rooftop down at the ground far far below.

“Nope, this is not a good idea,” she rambled jumping away from the edge, her hands shaking, “I think I need more time practising at the docks. I’m not 100% sure that I’ve got this down pat, I mean last week I stumbled a little on landing. So, I should probably make sure I’ve perfected everything before I do this. Just in case, cause if I do, Thanos will win, half the universe is gone, and no-one is really happy. Except for Thanos. So yeah, I definitely should go back to the docks and practice.”

For the past month since coming to the past/present, Peta had been practising using the suit and its webs in an abandoned factory at the docks. For the past week though, Karen had been telling her that she was ready to move onto the next stage and that it was time to head out into the city. Unfortunately, with the new body, the old fear of heights came back.

“Peta, further training in the abandoned factory will not help you develop your abilities and skills. You have surpassed anything that environment can teach you. It is time to enter the city environment for optimal skill development.” Came the reassuring voice of Karen, who had been repeating the same thing throughout the week.

“But what about my boobs? What if they interfere with my manoeuvrability, I don’t have the same aerodynamics as a 15-year boy!”

Karen’s silence spoke volumes about the validity of that argument.

“Shit. Fuck. Motherfluffer.” She spat out, with each word trying to summon as much courage as she could before spinning around and running as fast as she could. Just before jumping off the roof she held out her arm shooting a web onto the building opposite, and then let gravity take over. Unable to hold back her fear, she let out a long yell while raising her other arm and released another web. With each repetition, the fear decreased and soon exhilaration took over. No longer was she screaming but laughing at the unexpected joy and fierce feeling of belonging that overcame her.

This is where she is meant to be. This is what she is meant to do.

Down below, people were yelling and pointing up at her as she swung by them. The bright sunny day making sure that she was visible to everyone below her.

“All right Karen, just as we talked about. Time for us to go superheroring!” Peta laughed, adrenaline running through her veins.

“I don’t believe that is a word Peta.”

“It is now! C’mon Karen, tell me where I’m needed.”

“I’ve intercepted radio calls coming from 5thstreet. A high rise apartment complex is on fire and ladders on the engines are too short to reach people trapped on upper levels.”

“Sound like they need a friendly neighbourhood spider!”

Within minutes she was on a rooftop opposite the apartment complex assessing the situation and where best to make her entry point. There were multiple people leaning out of windows waving their arms for help, but the fire crews below were struggling to reach them.

“Ok, our priority is those closest to the fire and in the heaviest smoke. Karen, plot a course. I’m going in on the 10thstory.” Peta said seriously crouching down slightly to get ready.

“Course plotted, smoke filters activated.”

Pushing off, Peta sprinted as fast as she could off of the roof, extending her arms out to the side, letting the webbing of her suit appear to aid her glide into a clear open window on the 10thfloor. Rolling upon landing, she jumped to her feet and began running the highlighted course Karen had pulled up to where a young child and an old woman were.

“HELLO!” she yelled to make her voice heard over the roaring of the fire, “IS THERE ANYONE HERE?”

“IN HERE!” came a faint cry from the opposite side of the door.

“Don’t touch the door hand Peta, indicators show its temperature to be high enough to damage the suit” Karen warned as Peta reached for the door handle.

“GET AWAY FROM THE DOOR, I’M GOING TO HAVE TO KNOCK IT DOWN!” she yelled and after waiting a few seconds kicked the door in. There in the smoke-filled room was a young mother crouching low to the ground over her son with a wet towel over them both.

“Who are you?” the woman asked looking at Peta confused which was reasonable seeing as Peta looked nothing like a fireman. Her question though prompted the inner 16-year-old star wars nerd in her to reply.

“My name is Spiderwoman, I’m here to rescue you.” Peta replied with a grin on her face while getting down closer to the floor, “this is what we are going to do. In the next apartment over is a balcony, we are going to stay low to the ground and head over to there. Once we get there, I’m going to get you out ok?”

In shock, the other woman nodded and got up while gently pulling her son up onto his feet. Staying low, the three left the apartment as quickly as possible and went to the apartment with the balcony.

Stepping onto the balcony, Peta looked over the railing to the fire crews below who were pointing up at them and were yelling but were too far away to hear.

“If you anchor your web here, the balcony has enough strength to support your descent down,” Karen said while highlighting the underneath of a balcony above them to the right which had a clear descent down to the ground below.

“Ok, what’s your name?” Peta called over to the young woman.

“Mary, this is Sam.” She responded throwing off the now partially dried blanket.

“What I’m going to do Mary, is lower us all down to the ground with a very strong rope that’ll be attached to that balcony up there,” Peta pointed up to the balcony Karen had pointed out, “I’m going to hold Sam to my front with my right arm, what I’ll need you to do is jump up onto my back and I’ll piggyback you down. You’ll need to hold onto my waist tightly with your legs and make sure not to choke me with your arms around my neck ok?”

“Ok.” Mary nodded and gently pushed her son forwards towards the strangely dressed woman in front of her. Peta scooped Sam up with her right arm before turning around and kneeling down on one knee.

“Jump on!”

Once Mary’s arms were around her, Peta slowly stood up and shifted both Sam and Mary around until she felt comfortable and they were as secure as possible. Lifting up her left arm up she shot a thick web onto the balcony above them.

“All right everyone, hold on!” Peta said loudly before jumping over the railing and slowly lowering them all down to the waiting firemen and paramedics below. Once within reach both Sam and Mary were swiftly taken away into the waiting ambulances while the fire chief confronted Peta.

“Who the hell are you?” he asked baffled at what had just occurred and who the strangely dressed woman was in front of him.

“Someone that can help. Look, you can’t reach the upper levels, I can. Let me help you get everyone out.” She replied heart thudding in her chest. This was the moment everything rested upon. If he accepted her help it would be a cooperative introduction of superheroes to the world. If he refused, well, she would enter the building anyway but once again would be on the wrong side of the law.

The fire chief visibly hesitated, but Peta could see that he was swaying towards letting her help.

“No-one has to die tonight, I take full responsibility for my actions. Just point me to where you need me most.” She said earnestly.

The fire chief looked at her, back to the burning building where people were still crying out for help, and then back to her.

“All right, follow me.” He said before turning around and heading back towards the throng of busy firemen.

Grinning widely under her mask, Peta followed.

She kept on grinning the next day when the front page of the New York Times showed a picture of her handing a toddler to a fireman while hanging from a web with the headline ‘ **The Queen of Queens** : **a superheroine emerges** ’

 

* * *

 

A/N: So I expect there will be people unhappy with the changes I've made to Peter/Peta, but I am really interested in exploring this concept. Think about it, the modern era of superheroes in the Marvel universe was begun by a male of extraordinary wealth and privilege. What if we change that? What if I changed it to a female, with no connections, wealth or privilege but that which an AI can provide. I really like the idea and look forward to playing with it. I should note though that i plan on keeping Peta very similar to Peter Parker, just an older, more mature female version. BUT, if people really don't like the genderswap, just let me know in the comments and I'll change it back to a male Peter Parker.

 


	3. 2009

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone, thanks so much for the comments and kudos. They are the lifeblood of my motivation to write. There are a couple of concerns you have raised with the character change I did to Peter, so let me just address some of them so you can feel free to read without fear.   
> 1\. To those who are a little concerned about me turning Peter female and making him some sort of OC, I promise you that that is definitely something that I don’t want. I want to encapsulate the essence, character, and personality of Peter into Peta, but just add on an additional perspective that is often overlooked in the comic book world. If I do start to stray, feel free to let me know and I’ll correct it.    
> 2\. To those worried that this will be a Tony/Peter fic, let me allay your fears, definitely not. I’m thinking of another pairing at the moment, but we will see how it goes as it’s not something that will be coming up soon.   
> 3\. Why did I change Peter’s age? If you go back to Iron Man 1, the Tony Stark at that time is definitely not at a stage where he would be willing to take on an Irondad role. He is angry, revenge-driven, and has not developed the mental and emotional maturity he has in later movies. So, a teenager would be the last thing he would want around him. That is why I had to age Peter up. In the story, the relationship is going to be more of an exasperated/protective older brother and mischievous/supportive younger sister type.   
> Ok, ramble over. Hope this helps you understand the direction I’m taking and allays your fears! 

2009 

 

Peta sat glued to her couch chewing nervously on her thumbnail as she watched the 24-hour news channel. It was currently late at night and she had been there since 12:01am that morning waiting for the news to announce what she knew was supposed to occur that day. Queens was going to have to look after itself today, Spidey was taking a hard-earned mental health break. 

The past four months had been both heaven and hell, tossing her from ecstatic highs and melancholic lows. It had been heaven because her plan to become a trusted superhero was coming together. Public opinion was strongly in favour of Spiderwoman who had become a trusted resource used by Mayor Bloomberg, Police Commissioner Kelly, and Fire Commissioner Scoppetta. It had taken a lot of time and much more restraint she ever used before, but she had made a lot of progress.  

What Peta had done was focus mainly on search and rescue activities until she had gained the trust of the police and firefighters on the street, making sure to communicate her actions with them so they were aware of her motivations and character. Then, slowly she began to branch out towards crime prevention. But not by focusing on the perpetrator, but on the victim. Saving victims and getting them out of harm’s way than sending the footage Karen shot of the incident to the police. With the footage police were then able to use it to get criminals convicted in court. 

Eventually, when the police gave her a dedicated email address to use to stop her blowing up the public one, she then ventured into disarming perpetrators but never restraining or injuring them. Each time she sent the footage she would mention how much better it would be if she had official authority to do more. Then, the plan came to fruition when Mayor Bloomberg gave Police Commissioner Kelly authority to deputise Peta for one year as a trial period. She had gotten the idea late one night after watching a really old cowboy movie called Young Guns where some guy deputises six other guys in the wild west or something. She fell asleep before the ending so she couldn’t be completely sure. 

But while the plan had been coming together, Mr Stark had been kidnapped and was still missing. This had been her hell for the past couple of months. Peta had a great understanding of what Mr Stark was going through with his captors since it had all been on public record last time. She was agonised by the knowledge that she knew what he was going through and that she was doing nothing about it. The guilt was tearing her apart and she had been unable to sleep more than a handful of hours each night. Peta still did her best as Spiderwoman, but how good could she really be if she was letting her mentor be held hostage by the Ten Rings? 

The day Mr Stark had been kidnapped was the day Peta found out that her spider metabolism didn’t prevent her from getting very very drunk. While it was great as it allowed her to forget the situation for a while, the resulting hangover had gotten her fired from her job at the Starbucks she had managed to get. Apparently vomiting on a customer wasn’t considered to be professional. 

And so, this was Peta’s reason for sitting on the couch not moving, just waiting, avidly watching the television. Today was the 1st of May, the day when Tony Stark is supposed to escape his captors and be found by Rhodey.  

“Get on with it!” she grumbled under her breath still chewing on her thumbnail while her right leg bounced up and down due to mounting impatience. When the news broke for a sports update Peta groaned loudly throwing her hands up into the air. Jumping to her feet she walked behind her couch to stretch her legs and for the room that would allow her to pace back and forth. 

‘ _Something must have gone wrong, maybe Mr Stark couldn’t get out, maybe he’s more injured than he was last time, what should I do? Should I try to contact Ms Potts?!_ ’ Peta agonised, multiple worst-case scenarios flashing through her mind as her pacing back and forth became more frantic. 

“This is all my fault!” she exploded running her hands through her hair, “I should have given Ms Potts the coordinates to where he was being held. I mean, Mr Stark said he had to be taken, he never said I couldn’t help him leave early. Why didn’t I think of this earlier?!” 

Before Peta could chastise herself any further the news bulletin music played on the television interrupting her. Spinning around, there on the screen was a photo of Mr Stark with the words ‘TONY STARK FOUND ALIVE’ beneath it. 

Both fists were immediately thrown into the air as she let out a cheer of elation and utter relief. Leaning over the couch she grabbed the bottle of champagne she had chilling on ice, specially bought for the occasion, and popped it open. Carefully she poured herself a glass and raised it up as if to give a toast.  

“Here’s to you Mr Stark, welcome back!” she cheered and took her first deep gulp of champagne. 

“Urgh! Bloody hell…that is…. how does he even drink?... so nasty” she spluttered rushing towards her kitchen to pour herself a glass of water to hopefully get the taste out of her mouth. Now Peta understood why Mr Stark was always holding a full glass of champagne in the product launch photos she’d seen him in. 

***  

Peta sat up on the top of the torch of the Statue of Liberty eating a hotdog while conversing with Karen. One of the first things she had done as Spiderwoman was to find and help Joe’s hotdog stand because every bite of one of Joe’s hotdogs felt like a mouthful of home. Though she had memories of a life lived here, they were all fake. Her real home was in the future with people she no longer had a connection to. Hopefully, though, that would all change with time. 

“So, what is the deal with Obadiah Stane? I know that he was Mr Stark’s godfather and business partner in Stark Industries, but that he died in a plane accident?” Peta asked between mouthfuls of the hotdog. 

“According to the files upload by Friday, that is the cover story that SHIELD put together to cover up the destruction that occurred at Stark Industries. Mr Stane was the person responsible for Mr Stark’s kidnap by the Ten Rings where he was to be killed, thereby giving Mr Stane control of Stark Industries.  Upon Mr Stark’s return, Mr Stane was able to obtain the Mark 1 armour and reverse engineered it to create another armour for himself but was unable to power it. To power the armour, Mr Stane incapacitated Mr Stark and removed the arc reactor from his chest leaving him to die at the Malibu mansion. Mr Stark was able to access his initial arc reactor and went to confront Mr Stane in the Mark 2 armour. Both Mr Stane and Mr Stark battled each other, but in the end Mr Stark overpowered Mr Stane leading to his death. “ 

“What?!” Peta coughed, choking on a half-chewed piece of hotdog. Swallowing hard she continued on, “yeah, ok, that would definitely give you trust issues. Now we just got to figure out how to get Mr Stark the information that it was Stane that was responsible for Afghanistan.” 

“Why not just tell him?” 

“Yeah, don’t think that’s going to work. If some strange woman came up to me in a onesie, although it is a kickass onesie, and told me that Mr Stark was trying to kill me, I probably wouldn’t believe them. I think Mr Stark would feel the same if we did that to him.” 

“So, according to this analogy, you see Mr Stark as your godfather?” 

“No, I mean ye…anyway, that’s not important,” Peta rambled quickly, “the important thing is how can we get some sort of proof!” 

Crumbling up the serviette from the finished hotdog Peta looked around for a bin for a moment before realising that she was sitting on top of the torch of the Statue of Liberty, so there probably weren’t any bins nearby. With a shrug of her shoulders, she pulled the neck of the suit out far enough that she could shove the used serviette in her bra to be disposed of later. 

“I think I have an idea. You know how in all the movies detectives always say to follow the money right? Well, maybe that’s what we should do. See if there is a money trail between Mr Stane and the 10 Rings. Are you able to hack into Stane’s bank accounts or his emails?” 

“Sorry, Peta, accessing restricted Stark Industries information goes against my protocols. At this time information on Mr Stane held at Stark Industries is considered as highly restricted.” 

“Damn,” Peta groaned trying to think of a way around the restriction, ‘what about the information Friday uploaded? Anything we can use in there?” 

“Friday only had time to provide the basic HR profile in the upload. This includes Mr Stane’s name, work phone number, work email address, home address, and career history.” 

“Home address huh,” Peta mused, an idea slowly starting to emerge “Hypothetically, if we were to go to Stane’s address and you are within range of say, his personal computer or phone, could you get into them and would that be considered as accessing restricted Stark Industries information.” 

Karen was quiet for a moment before replying. 

“Hypothetically,” she began, “seeing as they would be the personal property of Mr Stane, Stark Industries would have no provision of securing that information.” 

Peta couldn’t stop her lips from forming a little evil smirk 

“Well then, we may just have to make a little visit to Mr Stane then.” 

“There is a flight leaving tomorrow morning at 9:40am for Malibu if you would like me to book you a seat?” 

“Huh? Malibu?” 

“Stark Industries Headquarters and Mr Stane are currently based out in Malibu, California. Mr Stark has not yet moved Stark Industries to New York.”

“Whoops, I keep forgetting that. Yeah, if you could book me a seat Karen, that would be really great. Now, onto our next item of business, getting Mr Stark’s attention with badassium. While I know we need to get Mr Stark’s attention, I really don’t feel comfortable with taking the credit for it. I mean, this puts Mr Stark in the history books….even more than he currently is!” Peta said, the thought of stealing such scientific history from her mentor was abhorrent her. Everyone knew that those who took the inventions of others was because they had no real ideas of their own. 

“Actually, it was Howard Stark that created badassium but was limited by the technology of the time from creating it. Instead, he left the blueprints of the element in the blueprints for the Stark Expo fairgrounds. Mr Stark discovered the blueprints when looking for a replacement of the palladium-based arc reactor and was able to create it. Mr Stark requested that you do this Peta, there is nothing wrong with doing so” 

“Ok, how about this instead, we file for the intellectual property rights with under my name, and a second creator to be released in future. Once we get it legalised we send the information to Mr Stark so if he wants he can be named as the second owner and we can then drop my name off the register. This way we get Mr Stark’s attention, and he gets the credit for badassium.”

“That sounds appropriate. Friday sent a recommendation that New York lawyer Jessica Pearson would be the most suitable person to hire. Her current retainer fee is $100,00 at the moment.”

“$100,000!” Peta gasped, “I’m not Tony Stark, Friday. I definitely don’t have anywhere near that kind of money!”

“Mr Stark uploaded information on available bank accounts that we can pull from if needed, remember Peta? One of the accounts currently has an excess of one million dollars in which to use and is not being monitored by either Stark Industries or Mr Stark.”

“Uh, before we do that, who is the intended recipient of the money? I don’t want to rip off a charity foundation or anything.” Peta queried hesitantly.

“Mr Howard Stark set the account up for Captain Steven Rogers during World War Two in case the Captain ever needed money once he returned. It seems the account was forgotten about, but the periodic payments continued. The periodic payments ceased upon the death of Mr Stark Snr but have been accruing interest ever since. Since Captain Rogers was never informed about the account he never accessed the money within.”

“So, it’s Cap’s money huh?” Peta mused rubbing her jaw in thought, “you know what. Use the money from the account. It’s not like Cap needs it since he is currently spending time as a capsicle. Also, he left Mr Stark to die in Siberia, so screw him and let’s take his money.”

“Yes, Peta.”

“And book the plane ticket with his money as well.”

“Of course.”

“Maybe first class? No, never mind. That's just going overboard. All right, phase one of ‘Save Tony Stark’ begins tomorrow!”

 

A/N: Ok, so some of you might have noticed that I have changed Peta’s background from Latina to Caucasian. The reason I originally chose to change Peter to a Latin American background is that I love the idea of a woman from a typically disadvantaged background in America being the one to change it. Of give a large amount of power to those who are often stripped of it. 

But, I am worried that I won't do justice to the character, and to the struggles that real Latina women face due to my ignorance. Seeing as I live in Australia and don't know many people from that background, I'd probably be constantly second-guessing what I'm writing and forever worried I'll do something wrong. As such, I’ve gone back and changed her.


	4. 2009

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all, sorry for the late update. I've gone back to work and uni so updates are going to be a lot slower now :( Think is just a quick chapter as I wanted to get something out today. Next chapter will be longer.

  
2009

“So, I had a thought,” Peta began in a wry tone of voice, “considering that at this time Mr Stark has just returned from being held hostage by terrorists, and he currently believes Mr Stane to be part of his trusted inner circle, it would make sense that Mr Stark would want to upgrade the security around those he cares about, including Mr Stane. That would make sense right?”

“That would indeed be logical,” Karen replied

“Yup, that’s what I thought,” groaned the woman as she overlooked the heavily guarded home of Obadiah Stane. From what she could see, there were two rotating armed patrols, each with their own guard dog with them. Surveillance and infrared technology were mounted all over the grounds, and the whole house was lit up with bright lighting.

“This is going to be a nightmare. Any suggestions?

“While Mr Stane has done a commendable job securing his house, there is one weakness that remains that can be exploited.”

“Oo, weaknesses are good. Tell me more”

Karen pulled up a 3-D model of the mansion and its grounds on the HUD for Peta to see, the picture slowly rotating.

“Like Mr Stark, Mr Stane has built his mansion on the edge of a cliff overlooking the ocean. Majority of the security defences are focused on these three areas,” Karen noted, highlighted the front and sides of the mansion in the screen, “while there are some defences on the cliffside, these are easily avoidable as Mr Stane is relying on the inaccessibility of this natural feature to prevent anyone approaching. But with someone of your abilities, this would be the most suitable approach.”

“Yay, I’ve always wanted to climb a cliff of uncertain stability in the middle of the night,” Peta sighed jumping down to the ground from the tree she had been sitting in. Turning around she headed towards the cliff edge on the far left-hand side of the house, “do you know how close you’ll need to be to access Stane’s computer?”

“If the computer is turned on, according to my calculation then approximately 20 meters. I will notify you as soon as I’m within reach.”

After climbing over the fence blocking access to the cliff, Peta carefully began to climb down and then across the cliff face towards the back of Stane’s mansion. The cold sea air made the rock slippery and easy to crumble under her fingers making the progress across very slow.

“Karen, how much further do I have to go?” she grunted as she hauled herself up and across a large gap in the cliffside. While the exertion kept her body temperature up, she didn’t want to expose herself to the cold sea wind for too long as she was still uncertain how her body would handle it, especially considering spiders didn’t do too well in the cold.

“We are currently in the approximate location. If you climb to the top of the cliff there should be enough room to rest against the retaining wall that blocks access to Mr Stane’s property while I copy across any information I can find.” Karen replied bring up a visual map of the location for reference.

“Ok, you get started then”

Carefully Peta climbed over the top of the cliff, leant against the concrete wall, and began to catch her breath. Closing her eyes, she focused solely on the inhale and exhale of her breath, one after another, in and then out.

_May. Ned. Michelle. Tony. Happy. Rhodey. Hell, even Flash in a way. She missed them. She missed them so much it felt like a constant sharp pain in her heart. This wasn’t her home, this wasn’t her past/present/future. She was alone. She was alone. Shewasalone!_

“Peta,” Karen’s voice pierced through the fog of her thoughts, “download is complete. We can leave if you are ready to go.”

“In a moment,” Peta sighed before taking in another deep breath, “just going to enjoy the view for a bit.”

Looking out onto the moonlit ocean, Peta tried to steel herself. This was her new life now, there was no turning back, she had to push through what she was feeling and get the job done.

  
***

Peta watched a figure of a person in the building opposite walk around their high rise apartment talk on the phone.

“Well, I guess this is one way of getting Mr Stark’s attention.” Peta mused sitting on the roof of the building opposite the apartment complex.

“Mr Stark is going to be VERY unhappy about this.” Karen scolded as disapprovingly as she possibly could.

“I know, but, it is guaranteed to get quick results. You found the money trail and coded messages between Stane and the 10 Rings, and we need to get the information to Mr Stark as soon as possible so he no longer is vulnerable. This is the best way to do it.”

Not giving Karen time to reply, Peta shot web and swung down to the balcony of the person she had been watching who had just hung up  
their phone.

Reaching out a hand, Peta knocked gently on the balcony door not wanting to scare the person inside. Her efforts were for nought though as Pepper Potts visibly started, spinning around to face her, before letting out a scream.

“It’s all right! It’s all right!” Peta yelled holding up her hands to show she meant no harm, “I’m not going to hurt you!”

Pepper ran out of the room into another before coming back a few moments later with a baseball bat.

“Whoa! I come in peace!” Peta rambled stumbling back a few steps as Pepper slowly advanced towards the balcony door, bat raised in position to be swung at a moment’s notice, “my name is Spiderwoman, I’m from Queens, and I’m here to help Mr Stark, he’s in great danger.”

Pepper stilled but kept a careful gaze on the strangely clad woman on her balcony.

“Danger from whom?” she called back warily.

“You won’t believe me if I tell you. I’m going to slowly reach over to my left hand and pull out a USB stick,” Peta responded before moving slowly and getting the item out of the sleeve she had tucked it in, “all the proof is on this USB, but DON’T open it at Stark Industries. It’s not safe there.”

Slowly she put the USB on the ground and took two large steps back.

“All right, you’ve left your information. Now leave before I call the police.” Pepper called.

Doing as Pepper asked, Peta spun on her heel, shot off a web, and then swung off the balcony.

“I think that went really well don’t you?” Peta said cheerfully as she swung through the streets, the people below pointing up at her and staring.

Karen’s silence was an answer in and of itself.


	5. 2009

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am currently posting this on the 15/03/2019. Today in New Zealand there was a terrorist attack by right-wing extremists against the innocent.
> 
> No matter when or where you read this chapter, I would ask that you take a moment to remember those who were lost and just what politics of hatred, discrimination, and division lead too.
> 
> To my Kiwi brothers and sisters, I am so sorry. Kia Kaha #ANZAC

* * *

 

Like a rabbit under the eyes of a predator, Peta froze still, barely breathing.

Across from her sat a panel of five people all looking at her with judging eyes and dubious expressions.

“And what makes you think that you would be suitable for the advertised position Miss Fitzpatrick?” the grumpy old man on the left asked while the grumpy old man on the right raised a judgemental eyebrow at her. Already she had mentally renamed them Statler and Waldorf, the similarity uncanny.

Opening her mouth, Peta took a deep breath and got ready to launch into the long spiel she had been practising for the past week when the office door slammed open.

“Everyone out.” Tony Stark said walking into the room taking off his red pair of sunglasses.

This time Peta wasn’t the only one frozen in their chair as everyone in the room stared in shock at the figure the media had been raving about for the past couple of months.

“What? Are you hard of hearing, I said get out!” he said louder waving his hand at the panel of recruiters.

Standing up, Peta grabbed her portfolio off of the table and headed towards the door with everyone else.

“No, you stay,” Tony interjected pointing at her “sit back down.”

After almost falling over her own feet, Peta scrambled back into the interviewee’s chair watching wide-eyed as the last person left and closed the door behind them.

Casually walking over to the panel table, Tony took the chair at the head and picked up a copy of her portfolio that had been left there.

“I assume you know why I’m here?” he asked nonchalantly flipping through the portfolio pages.

Peta’s heart jumped up into her throat. How had he figured it out so quickly?

“I-I’m not sure, to be honest. I’m actually confused about how you got in,” she replied hoping to redirect the conversation.

“Said I had a meeting. I have to know though, why on earth are you applying for a job here?”

“Stark Industries rejected my application.”

“Idiots, what reason did they give?”

“Apparently I have boobs.”

“Indeed you do.”

“I’m more than willing to hurt you.”

“A threat a man in my position often hears.”

“Which one, 69 or missionary?”

The burst of laughter seemed to be involuntary as Tony quickly calmed himself and tried to regain his aloof demeanour.

Inwardly though Peta was rejoicing. If there had been one thing that she had learnt in her earlier life, it was that Tony Stark loved a good round of snarking and it was a quick way to get on his good side.

Clearing his throat, he regarded her with a more professional mien.

“Yesterday, my lawyers brought something to my attention and I knew immediately I had to address it,” Tony said nonchalantly.

Taking a deep breath, Peta steeled herself for whatever he said next.

“Malassium is a shitty name. I want to change it.”

Letting out a sigh of relief, she could help but let out a huff of laughter.

“Mal is the Latin root word for bad.” She said hintingly.

Tony thought about it for a short second before a wide grin spread across his face.

“Not bad, maybe on second thought we could keep it the same.”

The door burst open again Interrupting their moment of comradery and Justin Hammer strode into the room.

“Tony, you need to leave! Miss Fitzpatrick here was just about to receive her offer of employment by the panel. You are interrupting.” The sleazy businessman said officiously.

Rolling his eyes, Tony waved a dismissive hand at him.

“Don’t bother, Peta has already agreed to be my paid intern, isn’t that right Peta?” he said and quirked his eyebrow at her questioningly.

Unable to resist quirking a smile, Peta nodded and got to her feet.

“I’m very grateful for the opportunity Mr Hammer, but I’m afraid I’ll have to decline.” She said bundling her things together.

“Well, we better be going then. Better luck next time Justin.” Tony said patting the man on the shoulder before walking out of the room.

“Oh, and Mr Hammer. It’s Ms Fitzpatrick, not Miss.” Peta said after which Tony’s loud bark of laughter echoed from the hallway. Giving a quick last smile, she hurried out of the room and after her new boss.

This really wasn’t how she expected her interview to go, but she’d take it.


End file.
